To help students cope with the "new normal" in education, the University of the Philippines (UP) launched on Tuesday a fundraising program for its 5,600 financially challenged students who do not have resources for remote learning.
In the virtual launching of the campaign, UP President Danilo Concepcion said the university has already adopted remote teaching and learning for academic year 2020-2021 with the possibility of blended remote and face-to-face learning in courses with discipline-specific skills such as laboratory or practicum, provided public health requirements are met.
However, Concepcion emphasized that not all students can effortlessly adapt to these changes and there are those who could not afford the necessary equipment to take advantage of remote learning.
"Of the at least 60,000 in the UP System, 1,600 are estimated to be incapable of purchasing laptops, personal computers, and paying for internet connection, while 4,000 are among the so-called financially vulnerable households where the combined income of family members is not enough to meet technology-related needs," Concepcion said in Filipino.
To respond to these needs, the university has launched its "Kaagapay sa Pag-aaral ng mga Iskolar ng Bayan" or the #KaagapayUP program which aims to raise funds to provide financially challenged students with their own laptop computers and internet connections that can help them access UP's remote learning courses.
Through this program, Concepcion encouraged the global UP community including its alumni to support its most financially challenged students to promote the practice of "giving back and paying it forward."
"Bilang pangulo ng UP, kayo ay aking muling inaanyayahan upang maging kaagapay ng mga nakababatang Iskolar ng Bayan at matulungan silang makatapos. Anumang handog o donasyon na maipaaabot ninyo sa layuning ito ay makagagawa ng malaking pagbabago sa buhay ng bawat mag-aaral na nangangailangan," he emphasized.
(As the president of UP, I am once again inviting you to support the younger Iskolar ng Bayan and help them graduate. Any donations you can give to this program will make a big difference in the lives of every student in need.)
The UP President also called on the private sector to "invest in the future" and help these students graduate.
The cost of supporting a typical UP student through four years of tertiary education is estimated to be P110,000 per student, with P30,000 being the cost of a laptop computer with suitable specifications, and P80,000 covering the cost of internet connectivity for four years, the University said in a separate statement.
"Donation packages have been created and tailor-fitted to support all or part of these amounts per student," it assured.
Interested donors may make use of a range of payment portals to facilitate their donations -- directly via cash or check through the UP System’s Landbank of the Philippines (LBP) trust account or to #KaagapayUP accounts handled by the UP Foundation.
They may also utilize bank deposits, wire transfers, online bank transfers and remittances, credit/debit cards, and digital payment platforms like PayMaya, GCash, PayPal and DragonPay.
For more information, the public is advised to visit kaagapay.up.edu.ph, or contact the Kaagapay secretariat at 0916 723 1200 for assistance.